Can Warriors land Giannis Antetokounmpo in summer? Don't count on it

So the Golden State Warriors took their big, bold, midwinter swing at landing Giannis Antetokounmpo. They missed. 

Will they step to the plate again this summer? They'll probably try, but it will be even harder to connect. 

The Warriors emerged from Thursday's NBA trade deadline with their most precious assets still intact: four moveable first-round draft choices. That was the most tantalizing element of the package they offered Milwaukee for Antetokounmpo, a two-time Most Valuable Player.

But Antetokounmpo remains with the Bucks, so he clearly didn't push them hard to strike a deal with the Warriors. And if Giannis doesn't fervently want to join Stephen Curry – now, in June/July or forevermore – then the Warriors are out of luck. 

Antetokounmpo will own even more leverage this summer, with only one year left on his contract (he has a player option for 2027-28). So prospective suitors figure not to seriously engage with Milwaukee unless they know they can sign Antetokounmpo to a long-term extension. 

He holds the cards, in other words.

On Thursday, about a half-hour after the deadline passed without the Bucks dealing him, Antetokounmpo posted a video to social media. It was a scene from the 2013 movie, "The Wolf of Wall Street," in which actor Leonardo DiCaprio's character makes an impassioned speech to his colleagues. 

"I'm not leaving," DiCaprio says, quietly at first and then louder. "I'm not f-ing leaving! The show goes on! This is my home. They're going to need a f-ing wrecking ball to take me out of here!"

Antetokounmpo added the message, "Legends don't chase. They attract." The post collected 4.7 million views in its first three hours. 

Now could this merely be Antetokounmpo appeasing the Bucks and their fans? Of course. He's known to savor attention, and he spent the past several days as the hyperfocus of NBA chatter. He no doubt enjoyed that. 

And could Antetokounmpo change his mind between now and the summer? Absolutely. If he demands a trade to the Warriors, the Bucks almost surely would make it happen. It would be tricky without Jonathan Kuminga's salary to include, but those draft picks will still be attractive. 

But peer past Antetokounmpo and another reality becomes clear: The Warriors' moves ahead of the trade deadline give them more flexibility this offseason, and set them up to try to upgrade the roster around Curry for 2026-27.

Golden State unloaded three players Thursday: Kuminga, Buddy Hield and Trayce Jackson-Davis. One came back, but Kristaps Porzingis' contract expires after this season. 

Simplified outcome: Those trades free up money to spend in the summer. Maybe the Warriors use some to re-sign De'Anthony Melton, who's playing well enough to start alongside Curry (again) in the backcourt. 

Or maybe they circle back and make another attempt to pry Trey Murphy III from New Orleans. Or perhaps there's another wing player who could bridge the gap until Jimmy Butler returns from his torn ACL recovery. 

Also worth considering is the very real possibility, or likelihood, the Warriors miss this year's playoffs. That would put them in the draft lottery, giving them a top-14 pick in what's widely considered one of the deepest drafts in at least 15 to 20 years.

This could become a valuable trade chip, especially if paired with future first-round choices. 

It's obvious owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy didn't want to make a big bet on this season, given Butler's injury. Now they face a tricky quest, to strengthen the roster for ‘26-27 – the last season on Curry's contract – before re-setting in the summer of ‘27.

The Warriors have little money on the books starting in 2027-28, prompting a question to Dunleavy last month about not taking on much salary beyond the summer of ‘27 – which could become an "inflection point" for the franchise. 

"That's important to us, for sure," Dunleavy said. "The salary stuff now is so big. These aprons are very challenging, so you have to be careful about the money you're taking on both short-term and long-term. … We'll take on money beyond that (2027), but it's got to be worthwhile."

Antetokounmpo would have been worthwhile. But the Warriors' flickering dreams of acquiring the Greek Freak will wait until summer – and, realistically, they evaporated Thursday.

This article originally published at Can Warriors land Giannis Antetokounmpo in summer? Don't count on it.